Swinbank seeks No. 8 Aggies-Cy Fair double Saturday (he’ll be at KY Downs)

• Cy Fair co-owner, Texas A&M graduate Swinbank hoping for dual sports victories on Saturday
• Wohler looks to get Gostam back to winning form in G2 1/ST BET Nashville Derby
• ‘Trojan’ of the Hannon yard Haatem seeks stateside glory in G3 Mint Millions
• More distance for G2 1/ST BET Nashville Derby contender Royal Causeway excited Gervais

Kentucky Downs barn notes by publicist Ryan Martin (Benoit Photo of Cy Fair winning last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint against males)

Cy Fair co-owner, Texas A&M graduate Reagan Swinbank hoping for dual sports victories on Saturday

FRANKLIN, KY (September 4, 2026) – For owner Reagan Swinbank, the first weekend of college football season will look a little bit different this year. Rather than being in College Station, Texas cheering on the No. 8 ranked Texas A&M Aggies as they take on Missouri State at home, he will be at Kentucky Downs to watch his Grade 1-winning filly Cy Fair compete in the Grade 2, $1.5 million Ainsworth Music City. 

Swinbank, a generational Texas A&M graduate, co-owns Cy Fair with Medallion Racing, Mark Stanton, and Joey Platts. The talented millionaire daughter of Not This Time brings some notable credentials to Kentucky Downs, including a triumph in last year’s Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Del Mar. 

As a lifelong diehard Aggies fan, Swinbank can’t recall the last time he missed an opening weekend at Kyle Field.

“I have already warned my Aggie football buddies and my family that I will not be at the first game, which might be the first time in my entire life that I’m missing the first home game of the season,” Swinbank said. “The first home game  is always a big deal. We’re generational Aggies and we love Texas A&M sports. Opening Day at Kyle Field is an important day for our family. Some of us will be at Kentucky Downs, and we’ll be watching the Aggie game on our phone. That shows you where my heart is, and my heart is with Cy Fair.”

Cy Fair arrives at the Music City, one of 12 stakes that encompass the three-day U.S. Open of Turf Championships, from a pair of graded triumphs. She captured the Grade 3 Coronation Cup on July 18 at Saratoga for trainer George Weaver in her most recent start, after winning the Grade 3 Mamzelle on April 30 at Churchill Downs two-and-a-half months earlier.  

In her most recent outing, Cy Fair tracked second along the hedge and to the inside of returning rival Sapphire Beach, before dropping back to third around the far turn. She tipped a path to the outside in midstretch with dead aim on Sapphire Beach and drew off to an impressive 2 ½-length victory under Hall of Famer John Velazquez. The win earned her a career-high 97 Beyer Speed Figure as well as millionaire status, enhancing her lifetime bankroll to $1,016,005.

“It helps when you have a horse with that much pure talent and that much turn of foot,” Swinbank said. “You’re always nervous, it’s Saratoga so there’s going to be some good horses in there. I thought in the back of my mind that she was the best. If everything else held even, she was going to win. When she got the opportunity to come off the rail and [returning rival Cadenza] backed up a bit, she got that opening and it was over. For her to win by over three lengths in a five-and-a-half in a Graded race was really impressive.” 

The decision to race at Kentucky Downs was made after huddling up with trainer George Weaver and Velazquez, who guided Cy Fair in her first two career starts as well as the Coronation Cup. 

“We talked hard about it with all of the partners and George. There aren’t that many big money races for turf sprinters,” Swinbank said. “After her last win, Johnny was comfortable that she would get six-and-a-half. Everyone wants to find a reason or an opportunity to go to Kentucky Downs, and we think she can handle the distance and the track. There aren’t too many chances to run for a purse like that. With a horse like her, we’re comfortable taking that shot.

“Everyone knows the track goes uphill, so it kind of feels a little longer,” Swinbank continued. “If it were five-and-a-half it would be a no-brainer, but because it’s six-and-a-half with that late uphill run, we did talk about it a lot. We’re excited to make the choice to try.”

The Coronation Cup was run over a yielding turf course, which was a new experience for Cy Fair, who had only raced over firm turf in all her prior starts. 

“We were worried about that,” Swinbank admitted. “She likes a firm and fast turf, which is another reason we chose Kentucky Downs. She overcame that and won easily.”

The Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint was not the first time Cy Fair defeated males. In her start prior, she shipped to Woodbine to beat colts in the Algonquin last October. Cy Fair became the first 2-year-old filly to defeat her male counterparts in a Grade 1 in nearly 40 years when being crowned a Breeders’ Cup champion.

“I think that’s why the fans love her; she’s a filly that can beat the boys,” Swinbank said. “It’s so easy to cheer for that. We were all cheering for Thorpedo Anna in the [2024] Travers, Nitrogen in the Whitney [last month]. I think it’s easy for the racing public to cheer for a filly when they’re running against the boys, especially at the highest level of racing. She beat the boys at Woodbine and then did it at the Grade 1 level in front of the racing world against the best European horses.”

Cy Fair’s sire Not This Time is the leading general sire in North America and also sired Grade 1-winning turf mare Sacred Wish, who also was co-owned by Swinbank and trained by Weaver. Sacred Wish retired with nearly $1.2 million in lifetime earnings, and is currently the highest-earning daughter of Not This Time. 

“Not This Time was the sire of our first Grade 1 winner Sacred Wish,” Swinbank said. “When I formed Swinbank Stables in 2022, my goal was to have a Grade 1 winner in five years. Sacred Wish got that done for us, and the following year Cy Fair won the Breeders’ Cup and got that done for us. Not This Time is a very important sire to us, we love him. He’s my favorite sire because he allowed us to win two Grade 1 races. The fact that he has five-and half turf sprinters, marathon horses, is pretty wild to see at what depth and level his offspring win at. It’s pretty mindblowing.”

Cy Fair is named in honor of Cypress-Fairbanks, a residential community in the Houston area where Swinbank has close roots. 

“It’s a rural part of town, 30 miles northwest of Houston. A bunch of history and that’s where my Mom’s family is from,” he said. “The high school is called Cy Fair.”

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Wohler looks to get Gostam back to winning form in G2 1/ST BET Nashville Derby

This year’s exciting edition of the Grade 2, $3 million 1/ST BET Nashville Derby Invitational features contenders from four different nations, including Germany who will be represented by Darius Racing and Michael Motschmann’s multiple Group stakes winner Gostam. 

Gostam, a German-bred son of Saxon Warrior, won his first four lifetime starts for German champion trainer Andreas Wohler. He went unbeaten in three starts over as many courses during his 2-year-old season winning all three races by open lengths. Following a sharp four-length debut going seven furlongs at Munich, he took his talents to Group 3 level for his next two races, winning going seven furlongs and a mile. In his 3-year-old debut, which came off a seven-month layoff he stretched out to 1 ¼ miles to win the Group 2 Bavarian Classic over good ground at Munich. 

Gostam will seek to make amends from his last two placings. In May, took his show on the road for his next start in the Group 1 French Derby at Chantilly, which is run at the Nashville Derby distance. There, he tracked in midpack of the compact field, and made a rallying bid in the stretch to finish eighth, only 3 ½ lengths behind Constitution River. 

“We always held him in high regard,” Wohler said. “He ran very well in the French Derby and wasn’t beaten that far. “I think this should be his best distance.”

Gostam enters the Nashville Derby from a disappointing 10th as one of the favorites in the Group 1 German Derby going 1 ½ miles on July 5 at Hamburg. He tracked closer to the pace, but began losing position in the later stages of the race, and was never a factor. 

But not all was lost that day for Wohler, who saddled his sixth German Derby victor with 66-1 longshot Dardanos. 

“It was a bit of a surprise,” Wohler said of the upset victory. “But for Gostam, everything just went wrong in the German Derby. We gave him some time off, and now he is fresh and well again.”

Wohler noted wanting to take a path of least resistance with Gostam. 

“We’re taking a bit of a lighter option,” said Wohler. “There was a Group 1 against older horses coming up at Baden-Baden [Grosser Preis von Baden], but it would be a tough race for him and it’s over a mile and a half which we learned is probably too far for him. The race for 3-year-olds in France [Group 1 Prix Niel] would be very tough as well.”

A Nashville Derby triumph would give Wohler his fourth American graded conquest, the first of which came when he saddled Silvano to victory in the Grade 1 Arlington Million in 2001. 

Bred by Stiftung Gestut Fahrhof, Gostam is out of the Oasis Dream mare Goiana, who also is the dam of German-bred American stakes winner Gavea, who placed in the Grade 3 Regret at Churchill Downs in 2024.

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‘Trojan’ of the Hannon yard Haatem seeks stateside glory in G3 Mint Millions

Trainer Richard Hannon Jr. is sending Wathnan Racing’s Haatem on a journey across the pond for Labor Day Monday’s Grade 3, $2 million Mint Millions Invitational at Kentucky Downs. 

The 5-year-old son of Phoenix of Spain is a three-time group stakes winner in England at distances ranging from seven furlongs to one mile, and was also dual classic-placed during his 3-year-old season. Following a triumphant sophomore debut in Newmarket’s Group 3 Craven in 2024, he finished third behind Breeders’ Cup winner Notable Speech in the Group 1 English 2000 Guineas. He followed that effort with a second-place finish, beaten a nose in the Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas at The Curragh, before his first of two Royal Ascot victories in the Group 3 Jersey. 

Last year, Haatem won the Wolferton at Royal Ascot going 1 ¼ miles before a close third as the favorite in the Group 2 Summer Mile one month later.

Still in search of his first victory since the Wolferton, Haatem has run three times this year, entering the Mint Millions from a fifth-place finish, beaten one length going 1 ¼ miles at Goodwood. 

“He’s a very tough horse with a solid constitution,” Hannon Jr. said. “He’s won at Royal Ascot two years in a row. He’s been placed in classics, and he’s been a real trojan of our yard. He’s had a relatively light year, and I was very pleased with his run at Goodwood. He got no luck in his run this year at Royal Ascot.”

“He’s a very relaxed horse, and you can run him over any trip because he never wastes any energy. He’ll go as fast or as slow as you ask of him. That’s what enabled him to come back at Goodwood. He’s very sound, and I think the track there will suit him.”

Haatem’s last two victories both came over a good to firm turf course. 

“A firm turf won’t be a problem for him,” noted Hannon Jr. “He’s won at Royal Ascot twice over very firm ground. He won there at seven furlongs and a mile and a quarter. He has very few complications and is very versatile.”

A victory would give Hannon Jr., the son of four-time British champion trainer Richard Hannon, his first American graded triumph. In Europe, the younger Hannon has found success with Group 1-winners like Billesdon Brook, Olympic Glory, Toronado and Night of Thunder. 

Haatem will be ridden by Jamie Spencer from post 4.

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More distance for G2 1/ST BET Nashville Derby contender Royal Causeway excites Gervais

Two-time winner Royal Causeway will see an anticipated stretch out in distance for Saturday’s Grade 2, $3 million 1/ST BET Nashville Derby Invitational going 1 5/16 miles at Kentucky Downs. 

Trained by Dallas Stewart, who won Sunday’s Untapable with Seneca Park, Royal Causeway arrives at the 1/ST BET Nashville Derby from a second-place finish in his stakes debut, where he was beaten one length by returning rival Fancy Sailor in the Water Tower on August 1 at Ellis Park. That effort came following a pair of victories, where he defeated winners at Ellis Park going 1 1/16 miles on July 4, one month after breaking his maiden over the Churchill Downs turf at 1 ⅛ miles. 

The path to the winner’s circle was certainly not a straight line for Royal Causeway, who didn’t break his maiden until his ninth career start. He made his career debut last August at Kentucky Downs going one mile, finishing five lengths behind eventual stakes-winner Turf Star. 

Owner Randy Gervais, who operates Gervais Racing with his mother, Lori, noted that the son of leading North American sire Not This Time had emerged from each of his starts with plenty of energy. 

“There were definitely some tough trips that we would like to have back,” Gervais said. “He would come back from the race and not be able to blow out a candle. You would think he didn’t even run. We think he’s really going to like the added ground on Saturday. This horse can run all day long, he has so much stamina, and I don’t think we’ve still got to the bottom of him. He debuted at Kentucky Downs and ran a killer race. Coming for home, he was rolling home and had an impressive fourth. He ran great.”

Gervais expressed excitement in giving Royal Causeway more distance, and is hopeful that even better days are ahead for Royal Causeway. 

“Some horses take longer to mature and develop and Dallas has done such a great job being patient with him,” Gervais said. “He’s only 3 years old, and he’s a fresh and sound horse. We’re obviously praying for a big race in the Nashville Derby, but there’s so many races down the line that we’d like to be a part of as well.”

In his start prior to breaking his maiden, Royal Causeway ran fourth going 1 ⅛ miles at Churchill Downs in a race won by eventual graded stakes-winner Supercharger. 

“He ran a great race at Churchill that day,” Gervais recalled. “He got the first mile and an eighth and ran fourth, and then in the next mile and an eighth race, he was just ready to rock. He ran big there and ran really impressively at Ellis. It was a fast pace and the time was really honest. Again, he didn’t even look like he raced.”

Jockey Cristian Torres has been aboard for Royal Causeway’s last three starts and retains the mount from post 1. 

“Cristian has done a great job developing a connection with the horse, and I’m so happy to see him back on,” Gervais said. 

What would make a triumph twice as sweet would be winning a big race with Stewart, who Gervais called “his favorite person in the world”.

“I’m really thankful that he trains for us. My mom and I are really excited to grow our operation with Dallas,” Gervais said. “We have some other bullets to fire later on, but this weekend is all about Royal Causeway.”